Radius-rod adjusting attachment



- I R. l- NAUGLE RADIUS ROD ADJUSTING ATTACHMENT Filed June 16, 1923 INVENTOR. Rina #113 2 A TORNEY.

Patented Aug, 12, 1924,

PATENT OFFICE.

ROY L. NAUGLE, OF BLAGKS'TONE, VIRGINIA.

RADIUS-ROD ADJUSTING ATTACHMENT.

Application filed June 16, 1923. Serial No. 645,787.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, R03? L. NAUGLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Blackstone, in the county of Nottoway and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Radius-Rod Adjusting Attachments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to the running gear for self-propelled vehicles, and particularly to the manner of connecting the rear ends of the front radius rods to the bottom of the crank case and the brace supporting the crank case and engine in a Ford car.

The general object of this invention is toprovide means for adjusting the front radius rods and thus securing a proper adjustment for the front axle.

In many cars, and this is particularly true of Ford cars, considerable trouble is experienced due to the fact that the front axle is allowed to swing backward, thus wrongly setting the axle. This is primarily due to the wearing of the ball'and socket joint con nection between the transverse support or brace for the crank case and engine bank and the radius rod. This not only tends to cause the front axle to drop back at the bottom, as before stated, but this action tends to twist the front springs so that they do not support the machin properly, and furthermore this tends to cause the whole forward portion of the crank case and engine casing to incline downward and forward so that the oil in the crank case will run forward.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which will permit the radius rod to be adjusted from time to time so as to take up wear and which further supports the radius rod in a nearly horizontal plane with relation to the axle.

A. still further object is to provide a device of this character which is very simple, which may be applied readily without any alteration of the mechanism of the car or in the radius rod, and which has been found to be thoroughly effective in use.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1' is a side elevation of an auto-- mobile engine, the front axle being shown in section, the elevation showing the usual radius rod and my improved attachment;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the drop hanger supporting the bottom of the crank case and through the rear end of the radius rod and showing my attachment applied thereto;

Figure 3 is a 501) plan view of the radius rod and my attachment applied;

Figur 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation of the members a and 0, showing the socket 6,

Referring to these drawings, it will be seen that in Figure 1., I have illustrated the crank case, transmission case, and engine block of a Ford car. This is provided with the. usual drop hanger a formed as shown in Figure 2 to provide a socket 5. This socket is formed partially in the drop hanger and partially in the cap 0 which is attached to the drop hanger by means of bolts or in any other suitable manner, as shown in Figure 5. The front radius rods of this type of car converge rearwardly, the forward ends of the radius rods 1) being connected to the axle E in any suitable manner. The rear ends of these radius rods converge and are formed with a globular head d which is, ordinarily inserted within the socket formed by the members 6 and 0 So far I have described the ordinary construction to be found in a Ford car My improvement consists in providing a terminal ball member which is adjustably mounted upon the radius rods D at the rear end thereof and engages in said socket. To this end I mount upon the converging joined ends of the radius rods D the clamp 10 which is approximately U-shaped in cross section. The forward portion of this clamp is adapted to bridge the gap between the converging radius rods, as at 11, and is formed with elongated seats 11 to engage the radius rods, while the rear wall of the clamp is formed with a seat or recess 12 adapted to engage the neck 13 of the radius rod D at the convergent ends of the radius rods, this neck 13 terminating in the ball 0?, as previously stated.

The U-shaped clamp 10 is formed with opposed screw-threaded openings 14 and through these screw-threaded openings passes a screw-threaded rod 15 which terminates in a ball 16 having the same size as the ball (Z The forward end oi this screw 15 is formed with a many-sided head 17 member 15 tobe adjusted.

whereby a wrench may be applied thereto. An eye-bolt 18 is disposed with its eye between the forward and rear walls of the U-shaped clamp 10 and the eye 19 is interiorly screw-threaded for engagement with the screw 15. The shank of this eye-bolt extends downward between the convergent radius rods just forward of the junction thereof and engaging beneath the radius rods is a clamping plate 20 which bears against the under faces of the radius rods and through which the shank 18 passes. The shank is screw-threaded at its lower end for engagement by the castellated nut 21 held in place by the cotter pin 22. A washer 23 is disposed between the nut '21 and the clamping plate 20. Any suitabl means of this character may be used in' place of the castellated nut, it will be understood. The ball 16 is designed tofit within the socket Z) formed in the members a and 0, as illustrated most clearly in Figures 1 and 2.

With this construction it is possible from time to time by turning the screw 15 to take up any wear that may occur between the ball and socket and to bring the axle E into correct vertical position beneath the spring F, thus preventing.anybreaking of the axle, any turning of the axle, any distortion of the spring, and any dropping down of the transmission case and crank case. Whenever it is desired to adjust this screw 15, the

nut 21 is turned off slightly, which releases the pull on the eye-bolt and thus permits the After the member 15 has been adjusted, the member 21 is turned .up again so as to cause the eye-bolt to clamp the screw 15. Thus it will be seen that the screw 15 has a three-point bearin upon the eye-bolt and the two walls of the clamp.

Itwill be seen that this device is very simple,can be cheaply made, and may be attached to a Ford car without any change in the construction thereof. \Vhile it is particularly designed for Ford cars, it is t be understood that it might be applied to a large variety of other forms of motor vehicles. I

- claim 1. An attachment for the radius rods of motor vehicles" comprising a U-shaped clamping member, transversely extending clamping member disposed below the U- shaped clamping member, a screw passing through'the Ushaped clamping member and having at one end a spherical head,.and an eye bolt having a screw-threaded eye through which the screw passes, the shank of the eye-bolt passing through the transversely extending clamping member, and a. nut on the eye-bolt operatively engaging the last named clamping member.

2. An attachment; of the character de scribed comprising a clamping member U- shaped in cross section and approximately triangular in plan view to provide a relatively long front wall and a relatively narrow rear wall. both 0t said walls being formed with seats for the radius rods of the machine, said front and rear walls having aligned screw-threaded apertures, a screw engaging in said apertures. the rear end oi the screw being formed with a, spherical head and the forward end oi the screw being so formed that the screw may be rotated, an eye-bolt having an interiorly screw-threaded eye disposed between the forward and rear walls and through which the screw passes, the shank of the eycbolt being screw-tlireaded at its lower end, a nut engaging said screw-threaded end, and a transversely extending clamping member disposed on said eye and against which the nut bears.

3. The combination with an automobile having a front axle, a socket rearward of the front axle, rearwardly convergent radius rods attached to the front axle at the forward end, the radius rods at their rear ends being joined, of a clamping men'ibcr U-shaped in cross section adapted to seat upon the convergent ends of the radius rods and having aligned screw-threaded aper tures, a screw passing through said apertures and having a spherical head at its rear end adapted to be disposed in said socket. and means for holding the screw in adjusted position and holding the clamping member in engagement with the convergent radius rods.

4. A. radius rod adjusting attachment for motor cars comprising a clamping member adapted to be engaged at its lower end with a radius rod and clamp thereon, a screw passing through the upper portion of the clamping member and having a spherical head, the screw being adjustable through the clamping member, and a second clamping member coacting with the first named clamping member and adapted to clamp a radius. rod between the lower end of the first named clamping member and the second named clamping member.

5. The combination with a motor car having an axle, convergent radius rods attached at their divergent ends t the axle and extending rearwardly therefrom, a member having a socket disposed adjacent the convergent ends of the radius rods, of a U-shaped supporting member having a forward and rear will engaged with said convergent joined ends of the radius rods and formed with opposed screw-threaded openings a screw passin through said the screw passes the shank of the bolt exopenings and having at one end means tending through said clamping member, and whereby the screw may be rotated and at a nut 0n the shank of the bolt. 10

the other end having aspherical head, a In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my clamping member disposed beneath the rasignature. dius rods and engaging the screw, a bolt having a screw-threaded eye through which ROY L. NAUGLE. 

